One of the most essential ingredients for life is wholesome, palatable drinking water. Throughout the history of mankind, wars have been fought over the possession and ownership of bodies of potable water. Man may exist for weeks upon nothing but water and its essential value has always been recognized.
In modern times, through industrialization, urbanization and population growth, vast sources of clean water have been eliminated or so contaminated as to be rendered unfit for human consumption. The invention involves a system whereby available water supplies are more judiciously utilized by improved and more effective distribution, thus saving an additional twenty-five percent, or more, without harmful effect to the consumer or the community.
In household sinks and showers of conventional systems currently in use, the water is soiled by soap and material washed from a person's body, and discharged to a sewer drain. With laundry washing machines the sewer discharged water is soiled by the detergent and the dirt from the laundry. With rain water the detritus is largely leaves, twigs and air borne matter such as soot and dust. Such water is commonly referred to as "gray water."
In water closets of toilets, where proper functioning is predicated upon the provision of a proper liquid volumetric vehicle, usually several gallons of water are required to carry off the waste contained therein. Although it is not essential that the water used in these devices be potable in the strict sense it should not be so contaminated as to pose a danger to children and animals. The waste entailed in conventional systems is not only of natural resources but also is an unnecessary drain on the user.
The invention provides a system where the liquid discharge from the sinks, showers and washing machines of a household is stored in a suitable reservoir, supplied to the water closets when needed and then ultimately discharged to the sewer. However, for such a system to be acceptable, it is necessary that it is able to operate continuously in an adequately sanitary manner with minimum maintenance. With pilot and experimental installations, it has been learned that after about six months a faint but discernible odor begine to emanate from the reservoir. Thus, an important aspect of the invention relates to the reservoir and associated equipment whereby the gray water therein is adequately flushed and maintained sufficiently clean to preclude the emission of undesirable odors even after a relatively long period os use.